Holdups Of Cabbies Investigated

Two cabdrivers were robbed at gunpoint and stuffed in the trunks of their cars early Tuesday morning, and police are investigating a similar robbery from last week.

The robberies are probably related, police said, because they involved men who hailed cabs in Rogers Park, gave a destination and then forced the drivers to pull over in an alley. After taking the drivers' money in each case, the assailants locked them in the trunk.

In the initial robbery, on May 22, the taxi driver picked up two men at Fargo Avenue and Sheridan Road, said Belmont Area Sgt. Frank Kajari. The men, described as in their late 20s, pulled a handgun and forced the driver into an alley in the 2900 block of West Foster Avenue. The suspects put the driver in the trunk, locked it and fled, he said.

The offenders struck twice early Tuesday morning. The first driver picked up two men in their late 20s or 30s around 4 a.m. at Pratt Avenue and Sheridan Road, said Foster District Officer Christopher Karney. The men told the driver to go to Foster and California Avenues. When he got there, the assailants ordered the driver into an alley at 2924 W. Foster Ave., took the driver's money and wallet and forced him into the trunk of the cab, Karney said.

The second cabdriver robbed on Tuesday picked up two men shortly after 4 a.m. at Devon Avenue and Rockwell Street. They told the driver to pull over in an alley at 6317 N. Clark St. and robbed him, Kajari said. The men ordered the driver into the trunk.